“I AM NOT PLEASED.”
The room is known as the Intimidater. Fitting, too. Guards stand around the perimeter, invisible in the shadows. Anasazi sits high on a giant throne. A single spotlight illuminates her.
She watches me. My feet wobble under her stare. I curse myself for being so naïve. “I have failed. I have let you down.” My voice cracks. Part of the punishment is knowing perfectly well what’s coming next.
“You have,” she whispers, “Perhaps it’s your treasures. It’s weighing you down.” She extends one claw-like finger, stroking the red ruby on my uniform.
I wince. It’s the only precious stone I’ve ever worn.
She continues, enjoying her power. “Ah, yes. It must be. I know what’s going on, you know. I know about the jewel you hide at home.
“No!” I cry. I whap my mouth, realizing my mistake. I start to shake in fear.
A slow smile spreads across her face. It reminds me of an earthworm, stretching and contracting. “No? Really, now. That’s not how you speak to me. Perhaps I should take that precious thing.” She tilted her head, ever so slightly. “I could take it right now.”
My eyes widen. I knew I would be punished, but not like this. “I’m sorry!”, I shout, “Please! Give me another chance!”
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“Of course. Always up for another chance, aren’t you? Well, let me think.” She makes a show of tapping her forehead. “Aha! How’s this: that jewel, or your life.”
My eyes water. “Please. Please. Anything else. Not this.”
She shows no sign of emotion. “Well, that won’t do. Oh, well, I suppose I have been treating you too kindly. I guess I will have to do both.”I fall to my knees, begging, pleading, screaming. But she smiles as if I was just a kid crying for a lolly. She amuses herself by sharpening her nails, as five guards haul me away. I fight. I scream. I yell. I know it’s all in vain. I know I’m wasting my energy, showing how pathetic I really am. I know I’m giving her what she wants: entertainment. But she’s smart. She used a weapon other have never dreamed of. And that weapon gave her even more power than expected.
“I’d like you to know, I hand pick executers,” she says, somewhere in the distance. Echoes of her voice trail after me. Jewel. Life. Execute. I lose my will to fight. I lay slack, crying like a baby.
The guards drag me away, bloody and torn. I plead for the mercy they do not have. I am shut away in cold silence, feeling my life slowly ebb away. I curl up, saying one final prayer:
“Dear Lord,
Please protect my jewel, even after my passing. Please let it believe, when there seems only room for doubt. Please give it light, in their darkest hour. Please fill its holes, should it be damaged. Please shield my heart from the secrets I store. And please give me warmth, until my last breath.
Thank you, for the joy you have brought, the beauty you have sent, and the kind you have given.
Amen.”